1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a moored mine that is capable of penetrating from one to ten feet of ice and thereafter ejects and otherwise deploys an inflated means for mooring the mine and a warhead at a fixed position in the water and below the ice so as to intercept and destroy long range submarines that are operating beneath the ice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previously, moored mines have never incorporated ice penetration features with automatic means for deploying a moored mine at a fixed distance below an ice field.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,371 to Lynch discloses a search torpedo with a means for a self contained power source, a water depth sensor, a bouyancy control device and a target proximity sensor. However, the hull of the torpedo in Lynch would not withstand ice penetration impact and there is no means disclosed to automatically deploy a separate buoyancy control mechanism so as to position the mine a fixed distance below the surface. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,552 to Hogman et al discloses an underwater mobile target with an elongated streamline body that is battery driven. This underwater target does not have any forward hull structure capable of penetrating ice. The patent also fails to show or disclose a separate buoyancy mooring means that can be deployed or ejected when the vessel is at the desired position where it is to be moored in the water. U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,270 to Hargett et al discloses a vertically searching depth bomb-torpedo having a plurality of side looking hydrophones. Again, this patent fails to disclose a rugged, strong, heavy forward weight nose portion used in combination with a self-contained power source, an automatically self-inflatable buoyant mooring member having the desired characteristics and features of the inventive moored mine of this invention.
The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art devices by providing an ice penetrating moored mine that is relatively simple yet it is highly reliable.